I am merely curious of the following companies which would surmount the others: Asus, Lenovo, MSI, or Toshiba? My criterion is currently lenient; its cost can be roughly $1.2k, 500+gb HDD, 5000-7200rpm read/write speed HDD, 200 or 300 nVidia series (or Radeon equivalent; I neglect to stay updated w/ ATI), HDMI compatible, 15-17" screen w/ 16:9/16:10/15:9 aspect ratio, and several hour battery life. The companies mentioned are of my prior knowledge and recommendation. If there are any comparable companies not aforementioned, I'm welcome to research them as well. Appreciate your time.

longevity: I would prefer that it remain adequate for my entire 4-5year undergrad endeavor; however, I do prospect that I shall built a high performance desktop in a few years. My emphasis on this laptop's abilities is underscored by versatility and practicality.